The New York Rangers' signing of Vladislav Gavrikov is official, and it puts a bow on a transaction that has been speculated about for weeks now, and they have landed him on an absolute bargain of a contract considering what some defenseman have already landed.
Gavrikov 7 x 7 NYR
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 1, 2025
The #NYR have signed 29 y/o UFA D Vladislav Gavrikov to a 7 year $7M Cap Hit deal
— PuckPedia (@PuckPedia) July 1, 2025
Yr 1-2: $1M & $8M SB
Yr 3: $1M & $6.65M SB
Yr 4: $1M & $5.55M SB
Yr 5: $1M & $5M SB
Yr 6: $3.4M & $2M SB
Yr 7: $5.4M
Full NMC Yr 1-5
20 Team NTC Yr 6
15 Team NTC Yr 7
Rep'd by Pat Brisson…
Gavrikov is coming off an impressive season with the Los Angeles Kings where he was one of the league's top shutdown defenders. The Rangers had a clear need for someone like Gavrikov, and when you look at some of the contracts that have already been handed out, it is fair to say that the Rangers did some decent work here.
Vladislav Gavrikov, signed 7x$7M by NYR, is a top-pairing shut-down defenceman. Plays a simple stay-at-home game with little puck time and not a ton of physicality but an active stick and solid frame. This season he ranked very high in terms of stick checks and entry denials.#NYR pic.twitter.com/UQrXeVO6Mn
— JFresh (@JFreshHockey) July 1, 2025
This season was Gavrikov's sixth in the league, and the Rangers were familiar with their newest blueliner from his time spent in the Metropolitan Division with the Columbus Blue Jackets. He's logged 435 games to date and on average has played 21:12 per night which will be a welcome addition for a defense corps that needed serious reinforcements.
In terms of his most recent season, Gavrikov posted a line of 5-25-30 in 82 games played while averaging a career high 23:05 per game for the Kings. He was paired with Mikey Anderson, and the duo had a slashline that includes a 50.44 GF%, a 53.87 CF%, and a 56.72 xGF% in 840 minutes together per Evolving-Hockey.com. Gavrikov likely will be paired with Adam Fox, a Norris Trophy winner and top-3 defender in the NHL, and it is fair to say that the duo should post numbers that exceed this pairing
Gavrikov had a career year at the right time, and earned accolades for his performance with the Kings this season. The individual stats he compiled should make Rangers fans very happy, and he is easily the best defensive defenseman they've had in recent years.
Via LAKings.com:
"Trending Up – Gavrikov was selected as the team’s most Outstanding Defenseman, voted on by the members of the media. Seeing his role elevated, Gavrikov logged a career-high 23:07 this season, as he led all Kings blueliners with a +26 rating during the regular season. Around the NHL this season, Gavrikov established himself as a top defensive defenseman.
Of the 17 blueliners to log at least 1,500 minutes this season on the backend, Gavrikov’s 1.64 goals against per/60 was the best mark in the league, while his on-ice metrics for scoring chances against and high-danger chances against were also the best in the league among those defensemen. 17 is a small number, certainly, but these are the highest-usage players in the league. The numbers presented a pretty clear picture. With Gavrikov on the ice, the Kings allowed very few goals, which stemmed from allowing very few chances. Pretty good combination."
In terms of underlying analytics, Gavrikov posted a 59.74 GF%, a 55.81 CF%, and a 57.19 xGF% per Evolving-Hockey. Sites like HockeyViz.com also tracked Gavrikov allowing 0.23 fewer expected goals against per 60 minutes of play, and that was 10% than league average. All of these numbers paint the picture of Gavrikov being the standout left-handed defensive shutdown defenseman the Rangers have coveted, and now the Blueshirts have their man.
